Style Icon : Nicole Richie

Just like hundreds of other girls, I include Nicole Richie at the top of my list of style icons. Style wise, Nicole Richie has come a long way since she first began to be really noticed by the public media with the television show The Simple Life in 2003 with friend Paris Hilton. However, it wasn’t until Richie paired with stylist Rachel Zoe that she began to be a fashion inspiration. The pair brought back many trends from the past that few women, aside from Richie, were willing to try at the time. Flowing hippie style blouses and dresses, bandanas, lightweight scarves, super skinny denim, ballet flats, oversize sunglasses, and even larger handbags are just a few of the trends that the style team of Nicole Richie and Rachel Zoe introduced.

One of my favorite things about Nicole Richie is that she isn’t afraid to try new things but she also knows the value of basic items and how to pair them with accessories. A plain white tee, basic colored cardigan, dark wash jeans, ballet flats, and a patterned scarf (such as her famous Alexander McQueen skull scarf) is an outfit so simple that only someone as outrageous as Nicole could make it into a trend. It’s because of Nicole that so many of us never leave the house without a pair (or if you are like me, two or three) of oversize sunglasses in our massive handbags. It’s because of Richie that some of us, myself included, own multiple pairs of ballet flats in shades from simple black to seafoam green and a range of patterns as well. Not to mention the countless number of women who have at least one pair of skinny, or super skinny, jeans in their closet.

Nicole Richie’s style is casual, simple, and versatile. Even though we all know better, it could be assumed that Richie simply throws on whatever is in reach and gets dressed in a matter of minutes. Richie always looks pulled together, ignores trends, and uses her classic taste to create her own style. She makes it look effortless and chic, which is what I feel most of us try to achieve with our every day look.